American Stock Exchange News Release

Exchange Release
Media Contact: Catherine Chantharaj
American Stock Exchange
212-306-1689/catherine.chantharaj@amex.com



AMERICAN STOCK EXCHANGE REPORTS INCREASE IN SHORT INTEREST

New York, December 21, 2006 -  The American Stock Exchange (Amex) member and non-member organizations today reported short interest of 781,726,447 shares as of the December 15, 2006 settlement date, an increase of 29,736,795 from the 751,989,652 (adjusted) shares reported in mid-November. The December figure represents trades through December 12, 2006.

In the year ago period, short interest totaled 769,843,584 (adjusted).

The December short interest position reflects short interest reported by all broker-dealers (not only Amex member firms) in Amex-listed stocks. A short position of 5,000 or more shares existed in 766 issues. Some short position was shown in 1,129 issues.

The attached short interest report was compiled by the Amex on the basis of information obtained from its member and non-member organizations covering all securities dealt in on the Exchange on both round and odd-lots.

Adjusted short interest for the preceding 12 months is shown below:

November 15, 2006 751,989,652 (A) May 15, 2006 906,981,875 (A)
October 13, 2006 769,277,350 (A) April 13, 2006 863,513,919 (A)
September 15, 2006 964,873,409 (A) March 15, 2006 831,700,047 (A)
August 15, 2006 949,982,868 (A) February 15, 2006 834,793,071 (A)
July 14, 2006 937,332,566 (A) January 13, 2006 760,236,190 (A)
June 15, 2006 987,762,127 (A) December 15, 2005 769,843,584(A)
Changes in the Amex's Short Interest Reporting:

Please be advised that there is a new way of accessing short interest information for the Amex through www.amextrader.com. Access to the site will be in addition to the standard Amex press release on short interest. Interested members of the media must contact Eleanor Henry at the Amex in advance by phone at 212-306-1529 or email at ehenry@amex.com to obtain an ID and password to access the site on www.amextrader.com. This page will be available only to registered members of the media. The report will be available by 2:00 p.m. on the publication date.

About American Stock Exchange

The American Stock Exchange® (Amex®) offers trading across a full range of equities, options and exchange traded funds (ETFs), including structured products and HOLDRSSM. In addition to its role as a national equities market, the Amex is the pioneer of the ETF, responsible for bringing the first domestic product to market in 1993. Leading the industry in ETF listings, the Amex lists 222 ETFs to date. The Amex is also one of the largest options exchanges in the U.S., trading options on broad-based and sector indexes as well as domestic and foreign stocks. For more information, please visit www.amex.com